Time flies faster than the running of the brides at Kleinfelds

25 04 2011

It’s pretty often when I think to myself, “self, you should really jot a quick blog post about that.” And ZOOM! before you know it, I’ve been pregnant, had a c-section, had a baby, had a 3-month maternity leave, and am finding myself back at the office.

… so … maybe some posts will look back in time so I can share some of the thinks I thought along this amazing journey. But let’s start fresh at least with current-day … Day 1 back at work after maternity leave. I’m actually really enjoying being back at work … it’s helped enormously by 2 things: 1. Avery is staying with dad for four weeks, I call it “daddy day care;” and 2. IBM is super flexible with work, which means that today, my first day back, I’m working from home, helping Conrad transition to his role as I transition to mine.

Here’s the message I shared with my team:


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Categories : family, new york

Was it worth it? StoryCorps

17 10 2009

Continuing in this vein of adventures in and around and occasionally having nothing to do with NYC, here goes … StoryCorps.

NPR’s StoryCorps oral history  project (what they say | what the other guys say)
Foley Square, NYC … and other locations fixed and mobile

ReyesReport Overall Rating: Two Reyi thumbs up (we’d add toes if the rating allowed!)

Time

  • Book your appointment in advance with their Web site. We found this incredibly easy to do (+2) … down side was you had to book in ADVANCE – we booked over a month in advance (-1)
  • We got there on time, recording started on time, recording ended on time. +2 for accuracy and good expectations!
  • Net: +3

Cost

  • There is no charge for the interview session.
  • Two recorded copies are burned to a CD — one for you, one for the Library of Congress. That’s free too.
  • They do ask if you’d like to make a donation – they suggest $25. We happily agreed with that. Donations are 100% tax deductible.
  • +2 (who doesn’t love free. no pressure for a tax-deductible deduction for a service you think is super cool is good too.)

Quality

  • The recording equipment and sound booth were top-notch.
  • My dad felt like a celebrity on a radio show… which in a way, he was … the star of the talk show about my life and those who influenced it.
  • The free recording they send you off with was great too — mom enjoyed the listen, and I’m sure more will be subject to at least part of the 40-minute adventure.
  • +2, no doubts.

Experience

  • You know where this is going. I walked out of there thinking who else to set up time with and wishing grandpa Osmon was still alive. When you want to go back for more, right away, it’s a good thing.
  • Dad was on top of the world — having contributed a living memorium to the Library of Congress. Not to be morbid, but I think that’s way cooler than an obelisk in a graveyard. This is a moment and a breath of life that will live on — both with my family (e.g. future kids, yes moms, we do hope) and with anyone else who wants to hear stories from a real American who was drafted for Vietnam, made sweeping changes to the public school system, publicly fought the influences of religious fundamentalists on public school policy, or about the life of a deep-sea charter captain.
  • Dad was also a little nervous about what I’d ask … I didn’t give him any zingers, but I didn’t let him off the hook until the interview was over either. Yeah, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy watching him squirm just a little bit ;-) Next time I’ll ask him about his torrid affair with my mother or … maybe some of the other unmentionables we don’t discuss in our WASPy little family >:-) <wink>
  • +5 … can I do that?

Overall

  • Reba: I don’t know why everyone hasn’t done this. Other than planning ahead, there are no down sides. The experience was excellent. If you live in NYC, book a time slot now. You can figure out who to interview when the date gets closer. Or hell, ask someone to interview you. We all have a story to tell. If you’re not in NY, no worries, there is a mobile booth that’s making its way around the country — stalk it. Or just come to NYC and make it part of your visit!
  • Rad:If nothing else, this offers people a forum to sit down with someone you want to talk with, ask them questions you want to know the answers to, and preserve those answers for future generations. Of course, there is also the doubt or challenge to now figure out how to make what is probably thousands of hours of interviews usable for those who want to dig into the hundreds of interviews and topics discussed.
  • Score: Perfect 10 (actually, it got a 12, but we gotta stay true to the system and have some kind of ceiling.)

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Categories : family, livin like a tourist, new york, Was it worth it?

Dinner and a Movie in Hillsboroug

23 02 2009

Hillsborough, North Carolina. Trees. Land. Deers.

From the location of the Reyes Ranch you can truly get lost in the outdoors. From her window, mother Reyes watches the deer drink from the birdbath and the squirrels and blackbirds compete for leftover hushpuppies and shrimp (I didn’t know birds ate Shrimp, see, I’m learning all the time).

And the best part about being alone out in the woods is that we’re really not alone. In fact, after church on Sunday we gathered around the dining table and had coffee with my parents and Conrad’s parents together. It was a fun time seeing everyone together — there was much laughing and story telling, and I could from see everyone’s faces I wasn’t alone in the joy.

But we were alone in the woods of Hillsborough. And my parents were alone in the warmth of Florida.

So thank you Skype and Logitech Quickcam for bringing the family together for a Sunday social. We hope family togetherness is something we can more easily accomplish now that we’re all spread up and down the eastern seaboard.

See you online and around the supper table!
– The Reyi


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Categories : family

Tater tot hot pot

12 01 2009

Our zesty-for-life friend did a 180. She hung up her rave dancing shoes, put away the directions for the quick trip to Hotlanta and moved to Minnesota where she shacked up with her dear man-friend, Doug. On a recent visit to the big apple, she was relaying a popular Midwest table fare called a “hot dish,” and her new family’s ultimate favorite: the Tater Tot Hot Dish.

I couldn’t figure it out. First off, I kept calling it, incorrectly a “tater tot hot pot.” Secondly, I just couldn’t understand Doug’s criticism of my friend “doing it wrong” by getting “fancy” with all kinds of other “exotic” ingredients, … like garlic salt! (???) Third … tater tot topping?!!

So on her next visit to NYC, she came with a house-warming gift. My very own hot pot dish cookbook. Look out! That same day I traveled to Fairway (our fancy grocery store) where my friend steered the grocery cart right past the oh-so-tempting fresh produce section towards the frozen goods.  “Honey, you won’t be needing any of that fresh veg for this dish” she informed me. We landed first at the organic frozen food section. “Nope, you don’t need or-ganic, you need ore-ida.”  And off we went. Frozen peas – check. Frozen green beens (french cut, not to be fancy, but because they lay better in the pan .. like, duh!) – check. And of course, tater tots (extra crispy, or original, my choice).

Later that night, as I top sauteed ground beef with cream of mushroom soup, my head is playing back every new-years-resolution, healthy-eating article I ever read; my father is salivating; my mother is shaking her head in quiet dismay … all that she taught about nutrition, I should know better.

The concoction is layered and bubbling in the oven. I won’t lie, it was fun and it looks scrumptious. How funny that I find myself, Boston-bred, Miami-educated, Europe-cultured and New York City-living .. getting in touch with the roots of my Ohio forefathers.

How will it taste? Stay tuned! My first tater tot hot pot is bubbling in the oven.


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Categories : family, food, friends

Dear lurker,

8 12 2008

You’ve seen me. I know you have, the Web traffic results don’t lie. Yet you’ve never pressed that little comment button to say, “hello.” Please don’t be afraid to come out of the “I read your blog” closet.

After all, if you’re going to harass us about not updating lately, then what’s the big deal about the positive reinforcement when we do?

But don’t worry, Curtis. If you’re not into it, that’s ok. We’ll let you keep lurking around in the safety of anonomity.

:-)

… Oh, and in the spirit of a little NYC news, the boxes are all empty. We had our first out-of-town guest this weekend (yay Mike!) and are hoping to deck our first full-size, live Christmas tree this week. I’ve started stringing the mice food already (I mean the popcorn).

Dave .. you asked for pics, as soon as I can figure out how to embed a video, I’ll add, but in person visits are so much better!!


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Categories : city living, family, friends, home ownership, new york

Last but not least ..

13 11 2008

We owe you a much more detailed update of all that’s transpired – and photos of the journey – but as I wipe the sleep from my eyes this morning, I thought I would share the great news – at 12:15 am this Thursday morning (Wednesday night), Conrad and I unpacked our LAST box.

Movers coming back today to pick up the boxes (and giving us a $50 credit for getting them back, good work Conrad); Osmon ‘rents arrive closely thereafter for their first inspection of our new digs.

Progress. It’s slow-going and hard-earned, but feels to great seeing it around the bend.


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Categories : family, new york

Moving, part 2. AKA: packing

29 10 2008

Packing lasted late into the night / early morning. Around 2a.m. we hit box number 60 .. why stop there? The stress of the 8:30am arrival of our movers, not shakers was mounting … so we persevered till about 4am before clearing the boxes off the bed and crawling under the covers for a “nap.”

Conrad’s take 2 at the floors worked MUCH better. The first floor sander he tried was WEAK. Not good. So day 2 was spent with the gouge-the-floor-out barrel sander. And it went WELL. Apparently, now we have nice looking naked floors. Unfortunately, the super came a-knocking at 5:45 “reminding” Conrad that “work” ends at 5:30. So around he sat until 10 for the rental guys to pick up the sander, all while staring at the 6 inches of flooring around all the edges that the sander COULDN’T reach. And the realization that he’d have to rent yet another tool to get the edges sank in.

So we were up at 6am today so Conrad could be at Home Depot at 7 (note: he was actually there at 7:01am – I think we’ll call that on time) and be back before the movers arrived around 8:30. He did. They did. They packed. They helped break down some of our wall units & entertained us with the sound effects of shrink wrap … heck, they even shrink wrapped our mattress!

Now the apartment-on-a-truck is bound for the Brooklyn warehouse. Conrad’s up doing the edging. I’m about to present at a conference. Tonight we crash. Tomorrow we clean. Friday we return the keys for our apartment and begin to make Harlem our official home.

Will we make it? Are we doing the right thing? Are we happy? … As my magic 8 ball says, All signs point to Yes.


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Categories : family, house, new york

Moving.!?*()…

28 10 2008

I have no idea how to close that sentence .. it’s a flurry of emotions. Here’s a short recap:

Wednesday afternoon, Day 1

- pre-Closing: Visit bank, withdraw more money than we knew we could; depressed it isn’t more as we’re in the middle of a market collapse and the stocks we cashed in were at an all time low when we cashed them last week, but continue to drop lower .. does that make it a good loss then?

- Closing: Everyone in the same, warm room. Seller’s lawyer is a jerk. Wish we had him instead. Somewhere in the world, a forest is crying. Keep signing. Keep signing. Keep signing. Keys? Ok.

- Arrival: No furniture. No chaperones. Champagne. Dreams of tomorrow. Literally, tomorrow .. since we closed 3 weeks later than we hoped.

… also, my mom has major back surgery.

Thursday – Day 2: Planning the move. And the utilities. And the movers. And picking paint colors. And sending a plea out to NYC friends to help paint on Sat!! 8:55pm – get kicked out of Home Depot; in search of dinner; talk to mom, she’s wigggling toes! 10:30pm Try paint picks on the walls. 11:30pm – Uh oh, we don’t like 2 out of 3, that’s $40 of “test” paint down the drain (not literally of course).

Friday – Day 3: Noon – Open house in our current apartment – kicked out to Starbucks. Find a paint store with pre-mixed mini’s of Benjamin Moore. 6pm – Paint take 2. Love it. Yes!! Now we need paint. And supplies. Drive to Home Depot. By car. To the Bronx. Traffic. Store closes at 10. Lots to buy. Their color matcher is out of order. Stress mounts. Head to another HD. Success! Push OVERFLOWING trolley and arm loads of stuff to register 10 minutes after store closing. Check-out clerk hates us, nicely. Proudly present 10% off coupon. $80 off. Sweet! Find a diner. Conrad eats possibly the worst fish & chips ever cooked. Awesome. Drive home. Because that’s what it is now: our home. <Euphoric moment> Shoot. It’s late. Tired. Unload mini. Impress neighbors with just how much you can cram into a mini. Survey our new palace. And all the goods. Dred mounts. Need sleep.

Day 4 (Saturday): Head to Harlem. Wash walls in prep for painting. Turns out there are a lot of walls. Lay out drop cloths & supplies. Find Jimbo’s – get great breakfast sammiches and coffee. Hope they’ll learn to know us there – odds are good. Tape off molding & ceilings. One ladder. Shoot, sharing makes job go slow. 2 helpers arrive – Joe & Marty. Rock on. First coat of paint takes a long time. Pizza helps. Marty puts in overtime. Conrad and B finish 2 coats, remove masking. LOVE the colors. Even the veuve-inspired orange bathroom. Tired. LONG day. Tomorrow: pack.

Day 5 (Sunday): Plan to head to Camp Osmon to visit mom. Pack overnight & off-to-MA stuff. Start to pack. Shoot… no packing paper. C goes in hunt. Takes a LONG time. Frustrating. Comes home like a sherpa with about 50 pounds of paper strapped to his back. Pictures will follow. ‘Rents call & ask we come later. Frustrated: if I was a boy, driving alone would be a non-issue, but not worth stressing them out – so agree. Argggg. Stubborn. Head up to Harlem for delivery of floor sander. Mask shoe-molding. Drape kitchen in plastic to protect from mountains of sawdust. Remove doors to rooms. Shoot – tired again! :-)

Day 6 (Monday): SANDING day — yay! And packing day — boo. C takes Monday off from work & sands floors. B works from home. Really works. No time for packing. Movers coming on Wednesday and so far only 6 boxes packed. Stressed. C calls – floor sanding worked, sorta. B goes to condo to check out the work. Darn. Sander gets up finish but not evenly. Much of the stain is still down. Much deliberating. Choices: Pay professionals; Attempt a dark stain & hope it doesn’t look awful; Rent a more aggressive drum sander; call it rustic, put down clear coat – live with it and get lots of area rugs. Decide to rent the crazy-intense drum sander and try again tomorrow. Return home. Pack. A lot. On a roll now. Sorta. 25 boxes and only most of living room done. Need to be up by 6 to get to HD by 7 to rent sander — call it a night ~ midnight. Stress mounts .. clock ticks.

Day 7 – Tuesday: Early. Rain. Move car. Find out alternate side parking was suspended. C goes to HD for new rental. Delivery arrives in Harlem around 10:30, by noon-thirty, at least one room is down to raw wood floors. YAY! Now we’re on a roll with the floors. Hopefully we don’t screw them up too badly. 2pm. Kitchen almost packed .. boxes piling up around us.

… So that’s where we are now. Hope we make the 8:30am deadline on Wednesday, as that’s when the movers arrive!


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Categories : family, new york

Send poems, prayers and promises

23 10 2008

The day it all began! Ironically, also one of my fav rents pics.

My mom went under the knife today for back surgery. Thanks to everyone who’s sent prayers and positive thoughts for phase 1 (evaluation) and phase 2 (operation). We’re now heading boldly into uncharted waters … recoveryation … or in other words, “Mom, sit STILL.” It’s my father who will need the prayers for that one (though I’ve recommended hard restraints as a more effective measure).

Seriously though. If you want to send a card, she’d love to hear from you — email if you don’t have their address & I’ll set you up. Alternatively, e-hugs delivered via comment to this blog post can be shared as well… so positive thoughts in any form are greatly appreciated.


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Categories : family

Closing parentation gaps – conference attending

18 09 2008

My parents went to an educators conference every year. When I was of a certain age, I was invited to join them. I still remember what it was called: ASCD .. and it lives on. They considered it a valuable way to learn outside of their usual social / geographical circles of influence.

Point being, we don’t usually share a lot of work experiences in common. My line of work is drastically different – from anything that was productive employment in their generation. This week though, I’m attending a conference: the Web 2.0 Expo.

Part of me thinks of this through that lense, part of me is observing how the world of conferences has changed (especially this one – who’s topic is about new webby stuff, so it better be using the stuff), and also what has NOT changed. (Someone here said, “Offline is the new online” — and I thought, “hmm, not really new, but welcome back.”)

So yeah, it’s a pretty good experience so far. Oh, and people at work helped me get a free ticket – including a fancy lunch discussion soiree, got to love that.

Next week: sharing 10 things I learned with the team who couldn’t come … need to let it percolate a bit to see what we can actually do differently based on all the different things we’re hearing here. Mostly lots of people talking about a lot of different stuff – but no 1 plan has emerged as a blueprint we can copy & reapply directly to our world.

I am twittering now, so that’s new.

Sidenote: Watch for Tim Washer’s new hilarious TV show pitch for a mockumentary on trade shows – man is there material all around us!


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Categories : family, new york, work scenes

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